no night flights —

FAA proposes rules for operating small drones

Operators would need to be 17 and take a test to fly an unmanned aircraft.

On Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration released a proposed set of rules for regulating drones that weigh less than 55 pounds.

The proposed rules, which apply to commercial drones, state that the aircraft must stay in a visual line-of-sight of the operator, yield to other aircraft, not drop objects, not operate in the nighttime, have aircraft markings, and not exceed 100 mph or an altitude of 500 feet.

The FAA also proposes that a person may not act as an operator or visual observer for more than one aircraft at a time and that the drone may not fly over a person not involved with the operation of the aircraft. The rules exclude model aircraft. The FAA is also considering more flexible rules for tiny drones (under 4.4 pounds).

Pilots, which the FAA refers to as "operators", would also have requirements for operating the aircraft; the FAA proposes that they would have to pass an aeronautical test at an FAA-approved center and be screened by the Transportation Security Administration. Pilots would need to be at least 17 years old and obtain a certificate.

Further Reading

President Obama also signed a memorandum regarding government drone regulation on Sunday. One section of the memo focuses of privacy, requiring that the collection of information using drones is "consistent with and relevant to an authorized purpose." It also states that the information collected by a federal agency via drones is cannot be released outside the agency unless "required by law, or fulfills an authorized purpose and complies with agency requirements."

The memo requires agencies to keep the public informed about how they use drones and report any changes that would affect privacy and civil rights.

The FAA had originally planned to come up with rules to integrate drones into US skies by September 2015, but the agency might not make the deadline.